REASONABLE thoughts about the iPad

[mtnDewFTW]

Alright, so I've seen and heard enough of everything about the iPad. The positive and the negative. And now, I think I can clearly state my opinion about it, and about the people who seem to be so upset or in love with it.
You are welcome to add anything you wish to this post.

First of all, there was TOO much hype about this thing. People got their hopes up way too high and ended up getting half of what they expected. That was really one of the biggest problems right there. We were blindly assuming stuff with no real evidence other than some random person posting stuff on their blog for some views and extra cash.

Now, on to the next one. This is the first generation iPad! KEEP THIS IN MIND. When the iPhone first came out, it couldn't do half of the things it can do now. Hell, it didn't even have MMS! But people were still into it. You gotta give them sometime to work on it. It's not even out in stores yet, which means that they could possibly add some extra stuff to it before the release, like a camera. It's not very likely to happen, but there's still a chance.

Now, it does have a few problems, of course. Just like any other device would. No multitasking is sort of pointless, but I can sort of see where Apple are coming from. They're really trying to make it "all about your content." With no interruptions between you and the app you're currently working it. Personally, I never cared about that feature even on the iPhone. But some people obviously do.

And here come the dumbass people who want Windows 7 on the iPad. I mean, are you kidding me?! If they were to enable you to put any OS on there, even OS X, that would take up more than half of the space on the most expensive model. and the rest wouldn't even be able to run it. So they had to be as minimal as possible. Which is reasonable. If I wanna use OS X so bad, I'll come home and use it on my iMac, where I can get the real experience on a big screen. Running any sort of OS on the iPad is ridiculous. It would slow everything down dramatically. And if you are looking for something that does you, why not go with a laptop?

Now onto Flash. I know everyone wants Flash on the iPad. And yeah, I would have to agree with them on that one. HOWEVER, Adobe need to rebuild the Flash player completely for it. Flash slows down websites even on some old computers. How can you expect it to run flawless on a iPad that has almost the same specs as a computer from 4 years ago.
And if I'm not mistaking, about 40% on the videos that you would run into daily, are on YouTube, which you can play on the iPad no problem.

Bottom line is, this is not suppose to be your main computer. This is something you would take to class to take notes, or just to keep you from being bored while you wait for something. It pretty much aims for the same thing that the iPod Touch aimed for. Portable, fun, and easy. That's all.

Personally, I'm pretty happy with it. I mean yeah, it could be better and all, but for now it'll do. A few gens from now, it'll be better, obviously. I actually see this as more of a educational tool. Where students can go download textbooks and go to class with it. In which case, that inability of multitasking is perfect for educators, since they'll be able to tell if the students are doing what they're suppose to

 

[anthonymoody]

Bottom line is, this is not suppose to be your main computer.

I think you (and much of this universe) is being short sighted with this notion. I agree that there are issues out of the box making this notion prohibitive. For now.

HOWEVER I feel quite strongly that this is the future. I even started a blog to ponder this future.

When my 64GB + 3G arrives, my MBP is for sale.



-TM

 

[killerrobot]

My "reasonable" ideas:
It's cool for what it is. It doesn't add anything new that the iPhone doesn't.
Will it sell?. Yes, it will. It does have an Apple logo on it.
Will it be as big as the iPhone? I don´t think so. I see it going the way of the macbook air. Big talk, not a lot of substance.

 

[Ruahrc]

I'm not sure any surprise announcements will be made between now and when it ships. It would take more than 30 days for Apple to design in a camera, and if they were going to do it they would not have waited until the last month to do it. And if they knew they were going to have it at the time of release, they would have said so.

2nd gen... maybe. But not for the initial release.

I haven't completely decided on the iPad yet, but what I want out of such a mythical device is for it to be enough of a piece of my main computer that it gives me more or less what I want from a computer when not at home. The current iPad in its stated form is actually pretty close to it. Right now my MBP lives most of its life at home, chained to a desk. I have been contemplating making a move to something like an iMac+iPad setup. The iMac will give me a little more horsepower at home vs. whta I have now, and the iPad will hopefully give me enough usability on the go to stand in place of a laptop at the bonus of being smaller and lighter.

Currently most of my iPod touch usage is browsing and email. I actually don't use any apps beyond what the iPod shipped with other than a free dictionary app I downloaded. I thought about it the other day and really it's just a compact internet browser. I don't really have interest in reading e-books, playing games, or finger painting with it. I could see myself buying the iWork apps if they proved to be useful and could integrate with a MS office environment effectively (i.e. no iWork companion installed on the desktop, just office). I don't really use it much for music, and I could do with a larger screen for the things I do. I actually find myself consuming a lot of content on the iPod in terms of reading but not actually creating all that much, mainly due to the difficulty of typing in long text passages (i.e. posting on forums). The iPad makes a tempting upgrade to what I have now because of its bigger screen, and potential ease of input due to a larger virtual keyboard. I'm not a heavy enough mobile user that I need the internet in my pocket at all times, and thus the larger screen and reduced portability is something i might trade off in exchange for a better experience.

The other thing I like about the iPad is the optional and fairly reasonable cost of 3G. I have never considered an iPhone (or any kind of data phone) because I am not willing to pay upwards of $100/mo for voice and data. $15/month for those times when I am traveling though, I could go for that. I'd pay the $130 premium for the 3G model so that I can have the option to do wireless data access if I have to travel somewhere and won't have my own wifi access.

The 2 things that stop me from immediately pre-ordering:
1) Not as of yet has there been demonstrated a good, compelling "photo dumper" usage model for the iPad. What I mean is I want to be able to take this with me on a photo trip/vacation in lieu of a laptop. I shoot moderately seriously and only use RAW on a DSLR. I want the ability to download RAW files from my camera for storage on the iPad, along with some software to perform basic manipulation to those RAW files. A strong preference for an iPad application that integrates seamlessly into my current LR workflow (i.e. an iPad app written by Adobe that ties in my iPad photos to my main LR library). This is not necessarily a design shortcoming of the iPad, but really more of the fact that apps have yet to be written for the iPad. Unless the processor proves to be too slow to effectively handle RAW files from modern DSLRs, this is just a software problem.

2) 128GB option. I feel like my current 32GB iPT is okay. I've got all my music on it, and have about 5GB to spare. But if I want to use it as a photo dumper, I need extra space. 64GB probably works for now, but for the future I want 128GB. I think that 64GB for iPad usage (double what i have now) and 64GB for photo dumping space would be sufficient for what I envision needing. This request is not unrealistic and it is highly likely that any subsequent update of the iPad will include a 128 (or more) storage option. Therefore, perhaps just waiting a generation will really be all i need to do.

If the iPad had those 2 things now, I would probably be trying to arrange to sell my MBP and looking at new iMacs and preparing to preorder an iPad.

Ruahrc

 

[Larpy]

+1

I need more memory as well. I have a lot of music and my wife and I go on long trips so have audio books and need a photo dump as well.

The other thing I think you missed is that it doesn't have a documents folder so there is no way use it as you describe. The other sticking point for me is some sort of connector so I can connect it to an LCD.

Other wise it seems pretty close to what I want, second gen maybe?

 

[bpd115]

+1

I need more memory as well. I have a lot of music and my wife and I go on long trips so have audio books and need a photo dump as well.

The other thing I think you missed is that it doesn't have a documents folder so there is no way use it as you describe. The other sticking point for me is some sort of connector so I can connect it to an LCD.

Other wise it seems pretty close to what I want, second gen maybe?

Yes, it does have a 'documents' folder, or at least a shared folder that you can dump files to that apps have access to. It also has external display support, although limited to it's native resolution.

"- External Display Support. iPad applications will be able to display content specifically targeted to an external display connected to the iPad via the Dock connector. This sort of external monitor support has never been allowed with the iPhone SDK.
- File Sharing. A shared file directory is provided that will mount on your Mac or PC. This is presumably how files such as iWork documents will be transferred to and from the iPad. iPad applications will be able to access this shared directory."

 

[CylonGlitch]

I agree with the photo dump idea; but at the same time I need to think that it is fine the way it is typically for these uses. As for RAW processing, there will need to be an App for that; no reason it can't read the RAW files.

Storage wise, how much space will you need for a week or two trip taking pictures? Say your RAW images are 20MB, that would mean 800 pictures if you allocated 16GB just for pictures. That's a lot of pictures over say a week or two. BUT that isn't UNREASONABLE -- just a lot. Many cameras store JPGs with the RAW as well, those would be fine for viewing on the iPad while on the trip. BUT I do expect someone to release a RAW processing app for it.

Music, I don't see why so many people think it is necessary to carry ALL of their music with them ALL of the time. I have about 160GB of music, but on my iPhone and iPods I keep about 4GB of that monstrosity. I just keep resyncing it. Out of that 4GB I have about 2GB of favorites and 2GB of random. BUT I can see people wanting to put it all on there, but are they willing to double the price of the pad just for more storage? Give it time, in a year or two when flash prices come down, the pads will have more and more storage.

I don't think it is really meant to replace the home computer. But it is meant to be synced with something at home, like an iMac. And give those who just want to browse the net, write email, and run apps from the app store something that can do all of this and a bit more.

I was quite negative about the iPad at first, but the more I think about it, the more I realize it does a lot of what I do with my MacBook that I lug around just about everywhere. I cannot switch to it completely because of some of my work require more advanced things, but that's OK. But for home, I've been considering upgrading my MacBookPro, but now, maybe buy an iMac that I've been wanting and the iPad for the mobility.

I think the market for the iPad is NOT the people who use their laptop as their main machine, but for those who like to browse and do things on the go or around the house without being tethered to a desktop. And, from a business stand point, there are a heck of a lot more of those people out there then those who really need a laptop (or laptop-book).

 

[8CoreWhore]

Remember - a lot of people poo pooed the MacBook Air. They sold a lot of them for $1800.00.

There are two questions - Is it good for me? And, Is it good for a bunch of people (but not everyone)? Clearly, Apple will sell millions of these around the world. Every successful product out there is owned by just a few percentage points of the population.

 

[Ruahrc]

Storage wise, how much space will you need for a week or two trip taking pictures? Say your RAW images are 20MB, that would mean 800 pictures if you allocated 16GB just for pictures. That's a lot of pictures over say a week or two. BUT that isn't UNREASONABLE -- just a lot. Many cameras store JPGs with the RAW as well, those would be fine for viewing on the iPad while on the trip. BUT I do expect someone to release a RAW processing app for it.

I went on a photo trip this summer, it was a little over 2 weeks. We went expressly to shoot photos, and I shot every day. I took about 3000 pics and came back with 25GB of RAWs. Therefore, under my 50/50 split guise, I could have made do with the 64GB iPad. Like I said though, I'd like to buy a little for the future here, hence 128 would be a little more ideal. Also considering the fact that my DSLR is 10MP and if I hypothetically get a 12, 15, 18, or even 24MP camera and 14-bit RAW files, required storage will be higher. I do accept though that I am on the more serious end of hobby shooters, but there are still a lot of people who shoot this much on a yearly vacation.

Music, I don't see why so many people think it is necessary to carry ALL of their music with them ALL of the time. I have about 160GB of music, but on my iPhone and iPods I keep about 4GB of that monstrosity. I just keep resyncing it. Out of that 4GB I have about 2GB of favorites and 2GB of random. BUT I can see people wanting to put it all on there, but are they willing to double the price of the pad just for more storage? Give it time, in a year or two when flash prices come down, the pads will have more and more storage.

Yeah I guess I got used to having my entire library with me from having a HD based iPod in the past. However, I also recognize that I am in the minority in that I strive to keep lossless ALAC files for all of my music. Storage is cheap enough and plentiful enough that I just don't see the point in using or storing lossy audio files anymore if I can help it. Again, my ALAC library fits in just under 32GB. But to buy for the future... 64GB for audio and apps would be nice. I have little doubt that iPad v2 will have 128GB storage, and maybe that's the one I really want.

Ruahrc

 

[mtnDewFTW]

I have been contemplating making a move to something like an iMac+iPad setup. The iMac will give me a little more horsepower at home vs. whta I have now, and the iPad will hopefully give me enough usability on the go to stand in place of a laptop at the bonus of being smaller and lighter.

This is exactly what I was aiming for. Right now, it would be PERFECT for me. I'd sync everything up with my iMac, and still have a device on the go with 3G internet. I live in the bay area, so ATT has fairly good coverage here. Plus, I always hated the idea of having a laptop and a desktop. Because that I would have 2 separate music libraries and everything would just get messed up. So the iPad, for me is the perfect solution for that. I can have everything my iMac and still have my iPad which would basically act like a laptop

I'm not sure any surprise announcements will be made between now and when it ships. It would take more than 30 days for Apple to design in a camera, and if they were going to do it they would not have waited until the last month to do it. And if they knew they were going to have it at the time of release, they would have said so.

2nd gen... maybe. But not for the initial release.

Ruahrc

You're right. That would make a lot of sense. However, maybe the one they demoed was just a prop? What if they wanna sort of spice things up for the big release and just stick a camera in there? I mean really, EVERYTHING has a camera these days, it shouldn't take Apple more than a month just to figure that out.

 

[bossxii]

Remember - a lot of people poo pooed the MacBook Air. They sold a lot of them for $1800.00.

There are two questions - Is it good for me? And, Is it good for a bunch of people (but not everyone)? Clearly, Apple will sell millions of these around the world. Every successful product out there is owned by just a few percentage points of the population.

Very good points. I think the original MBA was in fact $3,000!! People bought them at this price as well! They paid the price because it fit their needs.

To your point about it only take a few percentage points, that is so true. I recall reading an article back in the late 90's about how a game developer would make money and consider most any game that sold 500,000 copies a success, and 1 million was insane!

I'm guessing Apple will make money even it if were to only sell 1 or 2 million world wide, which imo will be a no brainer. Hell if only 10% of iPhone/iPod Touch users (75 million)? bought one that's what... 7.5 million?? The other 90% can hate it and Apple will still continue to make a profit and have a successful device on their hands.

*75 million makes the assumption, although I know its wrong, that every iPod was sold to a "new user". Just used this as an example of how small a percentage is needed to be successful.

 

[mikes70mustang]

Remember - a lot of people poo pooed the MacBook Air. They sold a lot of them for $1800.00.

There are two questions - Is it good for me? And, Is it good for a bunch of people (but not everyone)? Clearly, Apple will sell millions of these around the world. Every successful product out there is owned by just a few percentage points of the population.

Those with more money than sense will buy the iPad, just like the MBA

 

[bossxii]

Those with more money than sense will buy the iPad, just like the MBA

Ya because $499 is Sooo expensive

 

[jodelli]

Late last summer I was considering a new iPod Touch but held off to see what this new device turned out to be. I'm planning to get an iPad now.
That being said, it's really a new member of the iPhone>iPod Touch family rather than a revolution, albeit it's a particularly sleek looking gadget.

I'm more intrigued by the internal development of the A4 cpu/gpu with the help of the PA Semi alumni in Apple. It's an incremental advance of the ARM but an Apple processor nonetheless, and this sort of development was foreseen in the MR Forums back in '08.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/474502/

 

[Larpy]

Some good points made and some corrections

It's true you don't need all of that space for one thing...Like photos or music but what about music+photos+Video ++ other data? 64 seems a bit small to me. Anyway I'm sure that will increase on the next one and some of the other issues may also be resolved as well. I'm still interested in how to print things and how it will actually connect to an LCD projector, I'm guessing a dongle of some sort? Also I would like to see a SD slot, I know they sell them as an add on but really why didn't they just put it on to start with?

I also agree that this is not yet a notebook replacement for those that only have that as their computer but I can see the day when it does replace a notebook, and how cool will that be!

One more thing on the wish list, I hope the next one comes with a larger screen, maybe 13? I also hope the prices stay as they are apple could really kill the net book on this one if they keep the prices down.

 

[mtnDewFTW]

I also hope the prices stay as they are apple could really kill the net book on this one if they keep the prices down.

LOL I laughed so hard when Jobs totally bashed the netbook and straight up called it a useless cheap computer that doesn't do anything. Which is SO true. If I had a choice over a iPad or any Netbook out there right now, I'd obviously go with the iPad. At least I'll enjoy using it.


I'm pretty sure that slate devices in general will kill off netbooks. And as usual, Apple will be the leader, just like they were the best at making MP3 players. And still are making the best phone that's out in US. I mean, come on, even if the iPhone doesn't multitask, it's still better than 95% of the phones out right now. The only competition it really has is Android and MAYBE Microsoft. But seeing how Microsoft cares more about making their devices chunky and complicated rather than simple and slim, iPhone will do just fine

 

[Larpy]

Some good points made and some corrections

It's true you don't need all of that space for one thing...Like photos or music but what about music+photos+Video ++ other data? 64 seems a bit small to me. Anyway I'm sure that will increase on the next one and some of the other issues may also be resolved as well. I'm still interested in how to print things and how it will actually connect to an LCD projector, I'm guessing a dongle of some sort? Also I would like to see a SD slot, I know they sell them as an add on but really why didn't they just put it on to start with?

I also agree that this is not yet a notebook replacement for those that only have that as their computer but I can see the day when it does replace a notebook, and how cool will that be!

One more thing on the wish list, I hope the next one comes with a larger screen, maybe 13? I also hope the prices stay as they are apple could really kill the net book on this one if they keep the prices down.

 

[huskyte]

I went on a photo trip this summer, it was a little over 2 weeks. We went expressly to shoot photos, and I shot every day. I took about 3000 pics and came back with 25GB of RAWs. Therefore, under my 50/50 split guise, I could have made do with the 64GB iPad. Like I said though, I'd like to buy a little for the future here, hence 128 would be a little more ideal. Also considering the fact that my DSLR is 10MP and if I hypothetically get a 12, 15, 18, or even 24MP camera and 14-bit RAW files, required storage will be higher. I do accept though that I am on the more serious end of hobby shooters, but there are still a lot of people who shoot this much on a yearly vacation.
Ruahrc

This is a serious topic for me. I would be glad to hear the iPad entering the marked for image tanks. The hardware is there, so there is no reason not to use it as such.
I would really appreciate iPhoto be an iPad app as it allows basic raw editing and the iPad allows storage to a certain extend. So far no specs of the camera connector is released which seems odd as there is a DSLR market. Maybe they did so on purpose, because iPhoto might or might not be planned/finished till the release. But, Apple, listen to this: I will base my decision whether to buy or not to buy on this and if yes on the 64 GB edition.
And for the point and shoot guys, just to get the idea: A raw is 20 MB and I am usually carrying around 50 GB of flash per week of holidays. And unfortunately I am always short on flash. If the Pad was capable of this I could sort out a lot of photos I not willing to keep because of one reason or the other. This is a great device to do so and those doing serious photography would appreciate a solution or buying an image tank, which probably rules out an additional iPad purchase.

 

[GeekGirl*]

Remember - a lot of people poo pooed the MacBook Air. They sold a lot of them for $1800.00.

There are two questions - Is it good for me? And, Is it good for a bunch of people (but not everyone)? Clearly, Apple will sell millions of these around the world. Every successful product out there is owned by just a few percentage points of the population.

Yea they were over 3K when released